1788

councils, and promoting the alliance now negotiated by him with the
sultan, whereby he engaged to make a diversion of the Russian forces in
his favour, on condition of receiving a large subsidy from the Porte.
A pretext for war was the only thing wanting to Gustavus; and this was
supplied by the factious conduct of count Razamossky, the Russian ambas-
sador at Stockholm. That intriguing minister had been employed to
obstruct the king's measures, by caballing with the Swedish nobles, and
prevailing on them, by arguments and bribes, to oppose them on the fair
ground of his not being invested by the constitution with the power of
making war without the consent of the states. As Gustavus had nothing
more than well-grounded suspicions of these practices, to justify a breach
with the court of Petersburg, he availed himself of an expression in a
rescript delivered by Razamossky from his sovereign, † intended to dispel
the king's affected apprehensions of an attack, in which Catharine assures
him of her friendship towards him and the whole Swedish nation.-Here was
evidently an intention in the empress to court the Swedes, and conciliate
their support in opposing their sovereign's measures. But Gustavus chose
to see it in a more offensive light; as not only betraying a desire to sow
dissension between him and his people, under cover of friendship to both,
but as an infringement of his royal dignity, and an attempt to set up other
authorities in opposition to the legitimate power of the realm. He asserted
that he alone being intrusted with the government, no ministerial note
ought to mention the Swedish nation; and said that he could not suffer a
minister who held such factious language to remain at his court.

The king, then, gave his brother, the duke of Sudermania, the command of a strong fleet; and, after addressing a patriotic exhortation to his subjects, to emulate the glorious example which their ancestors had left them by a manly defence of their property, their liberties, and their welfare, against an enemy who was continually labouring to subjugate them, he repaired to his army in Finland; where he issued a manifesto in a haughty tone, requiring the empress to accept his mediation, and to restore to the Porte all that had been taken from it in the last war.'-Gustavus had an ardent desire to rival

Tooke. 3. 198. i Segur. 2. 21.

+ June 18.

State Papers. Ann. Regist. 256.
1 Segur. 2. 23.

the

* Ann. Regist. 292.

the fame of Gustavus Adolphus and Charles the Twelfth: he had declared
that a war was 66
necessary to characterize a reign:" but he had neither
the patriotism and impressive dignity of the former, nor that dauntless
valour which accompanied the madness of the latter, and impelled him to
perform deeds of heroism without reflecting on the merits of his cause: and
he was destined to learn by experience, that a firm attachment and confidence
between the sovereign and people is a necessary preparative to such vast
national efforts as he was about to make.-The Swedes had been successful
in some slight encounters: and the king promised himself further success
from the strength and character of his forces, and the comparative weakness.
of the Russians in this quarter. He was prepared for the siege of Frede-
ricksham, on the frontier of Carelia; and the terror of his arms had already
reached Petersburg, and had afforded Catharine an opportunity of displaying
in the eyes of her subjects that composure in the hour of danger which
characterizes a great mind. But when his orders were given for the attack,
several of the officers declared, that they could not undertake an offensive
war without the consent of the nation: moreover, on his addressing himself
to the soldiers, a whole regiment grounded their arms.."

Nor was the disappointment which ensued on this mutiny the only cause of the monarch's distress.-Gustavus's ambition had led him to sacrifice the essential interests of his crown to the gratification of that passion in his conduct towards the king of Denmark, whose sister he had married. Regardless of the ties of kindred, as well as of those principles of policy which recommended a firm union among the smaller states of the Baltic, as a balance to the power of Russia, he had meditated the conquest of Norway, and would willingly have allied himself with Russia, on condition: of the empress's suffering him to execute his design." And he then only sought the friendship of Denmark when he foresaw that the aid; or at least the neutrality, of that crown was essential to the accomplishment of his ambitious views. The court of Copenhagen, therefore, was not only induced to attach itself to the empress's interests on account of her cession. of the duchies of Sleswic and Holstein, an acquisition so highly conducive to the welfare of the Danish monarchy, but was actuated by a sense of the

1788

1788

the inimical disposition of Gustavus, and the expediency of providing an ally who might effectually protect it against his attacks.

The Danish government, which was wisely conducted by the prince royal and his ministers, did not, however, rashly embark in hostilities: on the contrary, it endeavoured to avoid the occasion of them by dissuading Gustavus from adopting warlike councils. But when called on by the empress to perform the stipulations of the treaty with her by its support in her present war with Sweden, it immediately complied. Finding their arguments with Gustavus to be fruitless, prince Charles of Hesse, attended by his nephew, the prince royal, took the field with a strong body of forces in Norway; and, invading the Swedish frontier, which was left in an unguarded state, they soon made themselves master of Stromstadt. After that, they forced a regiment commanded by colonel Traneborg to surrender at Quistrum, and invested the port of Gottenburg. P

The present critical situation of Gustavus afforded a display of all that activity and address which distinguished his character: and we shall now see him repairing the effects of his bad policy by his great exertions.-On intelligence of the invasion of Gothland he hastened to Stockholm; and after reviving the patriotism of the burghers and populace by his animated harangues, he passed into Dalecarlia; where he so roused the spirit of that ever loyal people that they pressed to support his standard. Then marching against the Danes with a strong body of these mountaineers, he, by his timely arrival, prevented the reduction of Gottenburg.

But it was not to his own exertions only that Gustavus was indebted for the protection of his realms. The courts of London and Berlin were, we have seen, fully persuaded that the general welfare required that a restraint should be put on the preponderating power of the two imperial courts; and, for that purpose, that the Turks should be supported in the maintenance of their independency in the south, and the Swedes in the north. On this principle they acted on the present emergency.-When informed of the situation of affairs at Gottenburg, sir Hugh Elliott, the British minister at Copenhagen, repaired to the Danish camp; and, with the spirit of an ambassador from a free and powerful state, he declared that, unless the Danes

Tooke. 3. 238.

September 24.

Danes evacuated the Swedish territories, England would send a fleet to bombard the castle of Kronenburg. This interposition, with the concurrence of the Prussian ministry, proved effectual. The prince of Hesse withdrew his army: and an armistice was agreed upon which led to a treaty of peace in the ensuing year.

In the mean-time the martial character of the Swedes and Russians was well maintained by their seamen.-The fleet under Greig, intended for the mediterranean service, was detained in the Baltic in consequence of the refusal of Great Britain to provide it with tenders and pilot boats. This proved in the event a very fortunate circumstance for the empress; as it gave her a fleet in the Baltic to counteract the enterprises of the Swedish monarch. In the month of june, the hostile fleets met in the gulph of Finland; Greig with seventeen sail of the line, several of which were ships of very large size; and the duke of Sudermania, with fifteen sail of the line, none of which were above seventy guns, and but three above sixty guns: he had, however, the advantage of five large frigates and the narrowness of the seas. A battle ensued, † which was fought, during two hours, with a firmness worthy of these rival nations. After they had laid by for a short time to refit, it was renewed, the same day, with redoubled fury; the Swedes compensating weight of metal and superior force by the valour which national animosity and a reflection on the naval glory of their ancestors inspired.-The advantage, when night parted the combatants, is said to have been on the side of the Swedes. But each admiral lost one of his best ships; and the Swedes were rewarded with honour alone for their signal bravery.-After retiring for a few weeks to Cronstadt, Greig put to sea again with an augmented force: and, attacking his rival by surprise, near the Swedish coast, he captured the Gustavus Adolphus, and obliged the duke of Sudermania to take shelter in the harbour of Sweabourg, where he remained blocked up during the remainder of the campaign.'

1788

In November.

+ June 30.

Ann. Regist. 77.

Tooke. 2. 242.

RUSSIA.

1788

TURKEY.

In pursuance of the sultan's determination, he braved the imperial courts with a countenance and demeanour becoming the dignity of his crown. When he found himself reduced to the alternative of submitting to their unjust demands, by which he would encourage them in their insolence and tyranny, or, availing himself of their present unprepared state, and the favourable disposition of several of the chief European powers towards him, to maintain himself by force of arms, he did not hesitate to prepare for war. With the energy which the occasion demanded, he called forth all the strength of his empire to repel their attacks. He ordered his grand vizier to march with an army of 200,000 men to defend his frontier towards Hungary. He strengthened the garrisons of Choczim, Oczakow, and other fortresses. Whilst the brave Hassan Bey, as his high admiral, sailed to the mouth of the Nieper, to protect the governor of Oczakow against the joint attack of the Russian army and navy. And that their operations might be carried on with every possible advantage, he engaged the king of Sweden, by a subsidy treaty, to make a diversion of the emperor's forces in his favour.

EAST